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Tuesday, May 19, 2015
On Thick Ice
When Titanic came out, everyone I knew went to watch it. I didn't.
Maybe it was the clip I saw where the only dialogue seemed to be "Jack!" "Rose!" "Rose!" "Jack!" or just the fact that I'd prefer to see the disaster minus the romance. Either way, though, I chalked Titanic up as one of those famous films I'd never see, and that was that.
Fast forward to 2014. I'd been working on a series of fantasy romances set on ships. Each story featured an exciting location, from the fantasy world's version of the Sargasso Sea to the Bermuda Triangle, so eventually I ended up in arctic waters. With icebergs. And since I like watching movies that reflect whatever environment I'm writing about, I bit the bullet and watched Titanic.
What do you know? I ended up enjoying it.
Not the romance part. I read a book while that was going on, and while Rose's evil fiance was evilling around. But the visual effects were stunning, from the first rush of water into the engine room to the final moment when the ship split in two and went down. All the beauty and grandeur, crushed and swallowed by the sea. I grieved a lot more for the liner than I did for the lovers.
So I bought a book about the sinking, and that turned out to focus not just on the ship, but on the iceberg as well. If I thought the visuals of Titanic were stunning, so are those of icebergs. They can be arched and hollowed with a strange natural architecture, and peaks that rise up for hundreds of feet. Best of all, the book followed the berg from its birth in the High Arctic to its southward journey. There was a fascinating sense that the iceberg and the ship both traced lines that would, eventually, intersect with fatal results.
That was when I knew such an iceberg had to be in my story—a towering mountain of ice that would cross paths with a sailing ship.
Vinsen Solarcis, the captain of Fallstar, knows better than to go near icebergs of any size. Especially when he has a passenger on board, a violinist called Maggie Juell, whom he's fallen for. He wants more than anything to keep her safe. But his ship rescues a castaway who claims her ship was struck by an iceberg, and the rest of her crew—injured and starving—are on the iceberg itself. Because Vinsen's ship is closest to the iceberg, he ventures as close as he dares, to try to help the survivors.
The iceberg doesn't smash his ship. It does something worse.
All About Romance calls The Coldest Sea "a well-written, engaging fantasy romance with a plot that kept me turning pages until well past the time I'd meant to go to bed". Read an excerpt here!
The Coldest Sea is available now on Amazon, iTunes, Kobo, Barnes & Noble and Samhain.
Thursday, March 12, 2015
Marked By You
My fantasy romance Marked by You is now available. Isn't the cover a pretty?
It's a spinoff from a fantasy I wrote in 2009 and which I'm revising now, set in an Africa-esque land. I always wanted to visit the Serengeti but could never afford it, so I wrote about it instead. And then gave the characters a highly contagious and incurable disease - the ability to do magic - indicated by a permanent mark on their faces, because I'm mean like that.
But a few of them are Immunes, which means they need to protect uninfected people by any means necessary. So when such an Immune meets a magician, there's enough sparks to set fire to the savanna.
Get it on Loose Id's website, Amazon or All Romance Ebooks. Enjoy!
Sunday, March 1, 2015
The Odessa File
I enjoyed Frederick Forsyth's The Day of the Jackal so much that I looked forward to reading The ODESSA File. Plus, that was about a reporter hunting down a Nazi, and I'm a World War II buff. How could such a story go wrong?
In six words: the hero and the hit man.
But I'll start with the good parts. The story begins when Peter Miller, a reporter who writes about pop bands and juicy scandals, discovers that an old Jewish man, a Holocaust survivor, committed suicide. One of the things the old man left behind is a detailed diary of his time in the concentration camp Riga, and Miller reads this.
Horrifying though the man's experiences were—at the hands of the camp commandant, Eduard Roschmann, the Butcher of Riga—they aren't why Miller decides to hunt down Roschmann. That's personal, and it's a great twist. I liked how it leaves Roschmann and his Nazi colleagues confused as to why they're being tracked down by a young German with a war hero for a father. Mossad agents they'd expect, but not this.
Miller's investigations draw the attention of Odessa, a secret organization of Nazis which works to get people like Roschmann to safety, and one way they do this is with forged passports. The forger maintains a file of all the people to whom he's issued fake documents, and this file is his way of making sure Odessa never feels he's outlived his usefulness. To safeguard him, Odessa sends a hit man to deal with Miller.
But they aren't the only people who have noticed Miller. Another secret organization—of concentration camp survivors turned Nazi hunters—gets Miller to safety and tells him how to get into Odessa. After an intensive crash course, Miller can pass himself off as an officer who once murdered people in Flossenburg. He goes to one of the higher-ups in the Odessa and asks for help getting a new identity.
So far, so good. The tension is ever-present, the stakes are high, and Forsyth's research is detailed. Then it all unraveled.
The higher-up sends Miller to stay with another Nazi, Franz Bayer, who'll arrange for the forger to supply a fake passport. Claiming he had to go on the run for fear of being discovered, Miller has no money other than the handout the Odessa man gives him for the train fare to Bayer's house. But because Miller doesn't want to take public transportation, he drives there in his Jaguar.
I repeat : he drives there in his Jaguar. Which the Odessa know all about, because they've done their own investigating.
Granted, he doesn't park it in Bayer's driveway, but he still gets spotted by Frau Bayer (who doesn't seem to wonder at this poor broke man driving a Jaguar, but then again, the few women in the story are not characterized by their powers of deduction). The Odessa higher-up immediately alerts the hit man.
Here's where Miller now gets saved twice by dumb luck (or authorial fiat, since as the hero, he can't die). The hit man prepares a bomb that he wires under the hood of the Jaguar, and he also waits to sniper-shoot Miller. Instead, he accidentally kills Bayer, and the bomb destroys the Jaguar—when Roschmann's bodyguard has taken the car and is the only person inside.
At this point, I expected the Odessa people to shoot the hit man before he could bring down their entire organization.
Miller's aura of immortality preserves him to the end, and the hit man is put out of his misery. I thought wistfully of how competent the Jackal was, and went to re-read that book instead.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Musa Publishing closing
Shortly after Musa Publishing opened its doors in mid-2011, I thought of submitting a manuscript to them.
Normally, that would never have occurred to me. On the Absolute Write forums, I've seen dozens of small presses come out with a fanfare and sink into oblivion before a year. I always wait until the press or agent is well established, but with Musa I considered giving it a try.
Musa was created from the remains of Aspen Mountain, another small press. Since the editors and support staff of Aspen Mountain had worked to keep the business going and to treat authors fairly even when the owner of the press couldn't be relied on, it was likely that they could go even further on their own. They would have learned what not do do by working with Aspen Mountain. Most of all, they had earned the support and trust of authors, many of whom rescued their books from Aspen Mountain to be published by Musa.
That was the first indication of a problem.
At the start of 2012, Celina Summers (former head editor at Aspen Mountain Press, editorial director at Musa) said they had "over four hundred books contracted". A few people expressed concerns, because even though many of those books were survivors of Aspen Mountain, meaning they were already edited, they still needed to be marketed.
Still, on the whole Musa appeared to be in good standing. Those of its staff who posted on the Absolute Write forums to discuss the press were always professional, and writers who had signed up were strong supporters. In fact, their enthusiasm was one of the things which made me seriously consider submitting a fantasy novel, so I looked up the guidelines for Musa's Urania imprint.
The imprints were actually what made me pause. I could never shake the feeling that, when setting up Musa, someone had decided that because there were nine Muses, there could be nine imprints too, publishing everything from horror to literary fiction to erotica to young adult. In fact, in the end there were over a dozen imprints, adding Musa Classics (divided into Gold and Silver), plus an e-magazine called Penumbra.
The sheer number of imprints could be confusing as well, since on Musa's homepage there was a link to the Eros imprint for Erotic/Erotica Romance but also a separate link for Erotic Romance. "Musa might be the only publisher in existence to have more imprints than editors," I said to another writer.
A small press is much more likely to succeed by focusing on one or two genres, and establishing itself before making plans for expansion.
So I hesitated, then decided to hold off on sending a manuscript to Musa for a while. If I was wrong, they'd still be around in the future.
By the start of 2013, cracks were starting to appear. A few writers mentioned a high turnover rate for editors at Musa, as well as errors in galleys—which didn't leave much time for corrections to be made. Later that year, Ann Leckie wrote about a problem with the e-zine Penumbra and, which I found more disturbing, a hostile reaction from Penumbra's editor to her bringing this up.
This wasn't the only mention of abusive emails from Musa.
Finally, there were the matter of the sales. When authors started discussing this on Absolute Write, many reported sales figures in the double digits. One reason for this was probably the sheer number of books released by Musa. There wasn't a chance for the press to market all these adequately, and yet Musa refused to close to submissions, even temporarily. In fact, plans were being made for a further two e-zines, to which some authors were asked to contribute free stories.
By late 2014, authors were requesting their rights back, and it was only a matter of time. Musa Publishing will officially close at the end of this month. To their credit, they've been direct with the authors about this and are reverting rights to books.
It's always a disappointment when a publisher with so much potential is forced to close its doors. Musa started out with the best of intentions, always paid royalties on time and could have gone far—if they hadn't been trying to go everywhere. It would have taken superhuman effort and operating funds to run all those imprints, market all those books and publish one or more reputable e-zines.
The staff and the authors worked extremely hard, and I hope the future brings them better news. For myself, I was reminded once more how important it is to be cautious in this game, especially once the honeymoon phase of a new press wears off. And to always be aware of warning signs.
Also recommended reading : Musa Publishing : A Case Study.
Thursday, February 19, 2015
Celebrating my newest book
Lots of fun stuff to read, plus three giveaways.
13 ways I learned to write about sex, on Shelley Munro's blog. This post was fun to write, because until I started it, I really didn't realize how sheltered I'd been as a teenager.
The Oldest Profession, on Romanceaholic. Why I decided to start the story in a brothel. With a giveaway!
I'm also guest posting on Coffee Time Romance about sex, lies and videotape. Well, not the videotape, because that hasn't been invented yet in my stories, but about deception in romance.
I have an interview and giveaway on The Reading Cafe.
Plus a giveaway on Let Them Read Books.
And finally, a great review of The Highest Tide from Night Owl Reviews!
Tuesday, February 17, 2015
The Highest Tide
Release date for The Highest Tide!
In need of some R&R in a foreign country, Captain Lera Vanze goes to a brothel. But the first man she sees - and mistakes for a prostitute - is a health inspector. Intensely attracted to her, Jason Remerley pretends his way into her arms.
It gets hotter and more complicated from there. An escape from a brothel, sex in a cave, a shark with a bad habit, and one very large wave.
The Highest Tide is "...a sexy adventure tale", according to RT Reviews. Smart Bitches, Trashy Books said:
I enjoyed the romance between Lera and Jason. For two people who met under deceptive terms, they are pretty direct, and I like the fact that Lera is much more of an action person than Jason. I liked it that they worked well together, and that Jason never questions or is threatened by Lera's fighting or sea-faring abilities. Lera is an incredibly engaging heroine...
Plus, I have a fun interview and giveaway with The Reading Cafe! Find out which are the only letters that haven't been worn off my keyboard, and how a cat once brought me a note.
Read the first chapter of The Highest Tide here, and get the book at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo or Samhain's website. Enjoy!
Monday, February 16, 2015
Ender's Game, the film
When I heard Ender's Game was being made into a film, I was skeptical. The book is very character-driven, with so much happening inside Ender's head, that I doubted a movie would work. So I waited until I could borrow the DVD from the library.
While the book will always be my favorite science fiction novel, Orson Scott Card went from being a writer whose skill I respected to a paranoid homophobe. But that's not the reason I felt this movie wasted my time.
Everything that the book did well, the movie fails at. The book isolates Ender; he doesn't get along with Bean at first, he's separated from his friend Alai, and he has to defeat Petra's army. It's made very clear that as a commander, he cannot be chummy with subordinates. Which is why the scene at the end where he hears them speak to him, and realizes he's going into battle with them, is so moving.
Here, they're his pals from the start. The part where a boy sprains an ankle just before battle is so contrived, as is the magical substitution of Petra to fill in the gap in Ender's circle of friends. Graff would never have done that to either Ender or Salamander Army.
Speaking of Salamander, in the book, Bonzo is a serious threat. In the film, he's a foot shorter than Ender. What were they thinking? Bonzo is more muscular, but that height difference works against him. It was like watching a terrier confront a Great Dane. And it's not as though Bonzo is written as a midget in the book. He's a secondary character who could have been played by someone bigger than Asa Butterfield.
But the film really fell flat in the depiction of the battles. Those are my favorite part of the book. Ender's Dragon Army starts out with a routine fight, but things quickly escalate from there. At first he has a battle every day. Then Salamander Army is let into the Battle Room before them and there's nowhere to hide. And so it builds up to the final battle of the exhausted Dragons against two armies, when you know Ender is going to lose—and, as he tells Bean, he can't afford to lose even a single fight.
The film shows one battle. One.
If time was limited, why not make this two movies? The problem with smooshing all of those battles into one is that there's no sense of progression and improvement. The book presented clear problems and showed how Ender outthought them. Here, it's as though Ender makes intuitive leaps of genius in a few days at most.
By having multiple battles, there was also a sense that Ender wasn't the only brilliant or mature kid in the school: he learned from Carn Carby, he depended on Bean to come up with ideas, and so on. Whereas in the film, there are only two commanders, Ender and Bonzo. Who is not just a midget but easily dealt with—he's scalded by boiling water which doesn't seem to bother Ender at all.
Then again, Peter fares just as badly. In the book, it's clear that although he's something of a sociopath, he's also intelligent, ambitious and manipulative. Here, he's just a homicidal thug. I couldn't imagine anyone in their right mind even considering him for Battle School. I didn't expect the Locke/Demosthenes subplot, but why even have him in the movie if all he does is try to kill Ender?
I could go on and on—how ridiculous it is for a hive queen to skulk around ten minutes' walk from the bunker, how Asa Butterfield is about as expressive as Kristen Stewart—but in the end, the greatest travesty is that the emotional power of the book is nowhere in evidence. I felt nothing while I watched this. I didn't even want to listen to the director's commentary, because one look at a sterile, jumpsuited future filled with lasers and explosions was enough for me.
So to summarize, there's CGI and action sequences where things get blowed up real good, like Michael Bay minus crassness and hot chicks. If you need more, look elsewhere.
Monday, February 9, 2015
My thoughts on genderswapping
On the Absolute Write forums, people have occasionally suggested genderswapping if the story needs more female characters, or if the story needs to be shaken up and viewed in a different way. Though in one particular discussion, people expressed opinions I didn't agree with.
When a character can work as both a man or women, and be equally compelling either way, that character is probably a damn good character ... a character that happens to be human first, and male/female second.
I can think of any numbers of characters who wouldn't work if they were completely gender-neutral, and who are still damn good characters. Try making Scarlett O'Hara a sixteen-year-old boy pining for a lady who went off to fight at Gettysburg. Or Tom Robinson a black woman accused of raping a white man.
I don't understand how you can't switch the genders, I really can't. I mean, does the male character constantly check out the females? Are they in the the army or something, are they gruff, do they curse, etc? How wouldn't that work for a woman?
How wouldn't that work for a woman? I don't know, I get the impression there weren't that many women working on Lord Nelson's flagship or standing guard in a Roman army camp.
It's not easy to have women playing significant roles under certain circumstances. It can certainly be done, because as Kameron Hurley's brilliant essay points out, women have fought throughout history. Returning to my original home, there was a corps of female Tamil guerillas in the LTTE.
But some armies were, on the face of it at least, all-male. If some of those soldiers were women in disguise, the story should show how they manage to pass as male during the weeks they spend in, say, the cramped quarters of a German U-boat. Genderswapping after the story is written could involve significant changes to the narrative (readers are likely to expect the character's secret to be revealed in time, and to have consequences).
Here's another thing that will only work for women: getting pregnant. Outside of the speculative fiction genres, pregnancy as a plot twist just won't work for men. I recently submitted a manuscript where, in Victorian England, the antagonist seduced and impregnated the hero's fiancée.
Genderswap this. The heroine's intended was seduced by another woman who now claims to be pregnant. The first question out of the heroine's mouth will be : how do we even know there is a child, and it's yours? Plus, there just wasn't that much of an emphasis on men remaining virgins at that time.
A real or fictional society that has gender differences or bias usually means that the author has taken into account the genders of the characters when writing the story. It's not as though these were picked by the toss of a coin, such that they can be easily swapped later.
I have a Christmas story coming out from Samhain later this year, where a man living alone opens his door on a freezing night to find a near-naked woman outside. She has an unconvincing story for how she got there, but he lets her stay overnight.
Genderswap this, and a woman who's living alone will have to let a strange, near-naked man spend the night in her house. I'd be surprised if the possibility of assault didn't occur to her, putting a damper on the romance.
Makes me wonder if they people who can't gender switch just haven't met enough people or their cultural gender roles are so inundated that they can't separate it from the person.
Or maybe they're telling a different kind of story from the one you want, which is not in and of itself a bad thing.
Try genderswapping the characters in a Harlequin Presents story and see if Harlequin still wants it. I've never read Harlequin Presents, but a lot of readers love the rich sexy alpha males in this imprint's books.
Ditto for some mainstream romances. I think a romance between a tough, sociopathic female assassin who saves a nervous, clueless, sexually inexperienced man could find a market… but it would be smaller than the number of readers who enjoyed the reverse. I'll go so far as to say that a mainstream publisher will want the man to be able to hold his own at least sexually, whereas it's not such a problem if the woman can't.
This isn't a matter of the authors not being experienced enough to write differently, or having very traditional gender roles in mind. It's a matter of them writing to the market, and if that's what they want to do, it's their choice. Though it's great when authors challenge the expectations of that market, as Courtney Milan does in her historicals, but I also think such envelope-pushing has to be done with care. Ditto for genderswapping.
So to summarize…
Genderswapping is like any other tool in an author's repertoire. No tool works for every situation at every time. There are some stories which will benefit from changing the characters' genders, and others which won't, and it's up to the individual author to know the difference.
Friday, February 6, 2015
Five kinds of atheistic characters I won't read about
1. Atheist is morally bankrupt
Sometimes the authors aren't even trying to make a sheep-vs-goats statement here. They just think it would be dramatic to write:
"He arrived at the harbor late, but his cargo of uncut heroin and underaged prostitutes was nowhere in sight. Had something happened? Vladimir Khorupt was an atheist, but he found himself praying."
I've never seen it the other way around, though : "Because she was an atheist and didn't believe in an afterlife, Jacey Summers did her best to help people in this one." So if the book isn't intended to make any kind of moral judgment, either play fair or leave off the mentions of religion/lack thereof.
2. Atheist is bitter or miserable
There's a Graham Masterton book I put down because one of the characters, Dean, is an unpleasant misanthrope described as an atheist. The others call him Mean Dean, just to drive home what a nasty piece of work he is.
IMO, if such a character went down on his knees and embraced Islam this minute, he'd still be as pleasant as fingernails on a chalkboard. Except then he'd also think women should cover up. It has nothing to do with whether or not he's religious, in other words. Unbelievers can enjoy life too.
3. Atheist became that way after a tragedy
The stereotype of an atheist is someone who believed in God until he lost a loved one. At this point he fell to his knees, screamed "NOOOOO!" at the uncaring sky, and became Darth Vader.
How popular is this stereotype? Well, after my mother died, an (extremely religious) friend of hers called up to ask me to go to church with her. No thank you, I said, because I'm an atheist. Shocked, she told me I shouldn't allow my mother's death to harden my heart. That was 2004, and I'd deconverted in 1999.
It was hardly a dramatic event, either, because I just read a lot before it happened. No screaming involved, at the sky or at anything else.
4. Atheist is the subject of a punish-the-protagonist story
I genuinely hate these, and although I might try the occasional inspirational novel, I stay away from any that might have this plot. Unfortunately it can crop up stealthily elsewhere.
In Dean Koontz's short story "Twilight of the Dawn", an early hint of the author's detour into conservative preaching, the main character is so hardcore he tells his son there's no Santa Claus. For this, he must be made to pay, so both his wife and son die, with the son praying for him until the end. And the main character keeps suffering until he repents of his evil ways and decides there's a loving God after all.
I might not mind a well-written conversion story where the atheist researches a religion he's curious about, and we see why this religion works for him and is a rewarding addition to his life. But I'm not interested in conversion-through-misery, which rings about as true as deconversion-through-tragedy.
5. Atheist is superior to everyone else
This is the rarest of the subspecies, but I thought Darwin Minor, the hero of Dan Simmons' Darwin's Blade, fitted it. As well as having a physics degree and a background as a sniper in Vietnam, he's a brilliant chess player and an incredibly well-read investigator, so he can outfight, outshoot and outthink anyone. It's like the Terminator and Sheldon Cooper had a baby together.
I don't find this kind of character offensive, unless the story turns into a tract, but at the same time I'd much prefer even-handed treatment. In real life, religious beliefs are no guarantee of morality any more than atheism is an sign of genius. If these are used in fiction as shortcuts, there are much better ways to show personality.
And if these are ways readers can predict what will happen to the characters, all I can say is, I'm avoiding those stories.
Tuesday, February 3, 2015
Something shiny to share!
These arrived in the mail. Aren't they pretty? Especially with a review quote from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books on the cover.
So I'm giving one away on Goodreads, a paperback copy for a lucky winner in the States or Canada. And there may be enclosed a bookmark made with mine own fair hand as well. Don't wait, click to win!
Goodreads Book Giveaway
The Deepest Ocean
by Marian Perera
Giveaway ends February 10, 2015.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
See the giveaway details at Goodreads.
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Hvad er inkluderet?
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Venetian Cooking
Le Bistrot de Venise recipts
Following pages contains cooking recepits kindly offered by restaurant "Le Bistrot de Venise" that will let you to try the historical venetian style cooking.
Pasticceria Ponte delle Paste
One of the oldest bakeries blinds with over 100 years of history. The favorite place of the Venetians.The name makes the strange position in which it is located, on a bridge, at Calle del Pistor. It is a well-known pastry shop that took the place of...


text: Forget what you've heard about comfort food. Those recipes that are greasy, cheesy, and full of unnecessary fats and sugars are not the only dishes that can make you feel better when you're having a bad day or when it's too cold outside to move. Plus, the traditional comfort foods definitely don't align with your healthy diet. In this awesome new eCookbook, we've gathered a whole bunch of amazing, lightened-up versions of your favorite comfort foods.


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Contrary to popular belief, career fairs are not dead. In fact, they're alive and well — and employers of all sizes and specialties find them extremely useful.
Here are a few ways employers can benefit from attending a job fair:
1. You gain access to a large number of candidates in a one-stop environment. In the four to five hours of a career fair, an employer can meet with dozens of candidates per representative, says Michael Petro, an assistant director in the University of Connecticut's Center for Career Development. "Recruiters and managers get the chance to have a face-to-face interaction with candidates that are interested in their organization. For many, the career fair can be an initial screen of talent and numerous employers will decide to offer first round interviews based on those brief interactions at a career fair table."
2. You can increase brand awareness. Katharine S. Brooks, executive director of the Office of Personal and Career Development at Wake Forest University, says a career fair is a form of public relations for a company. "It's a way to get your name out in a positive light, to encourage talented job seekers to consider you, and to have a conversation with real people, rather than resumes."
Employers that participate in a career fair develop strong brand awareness among job seekers, students, staff, and even other employers, Petro adds. "In the brief time they are at a career fair, thousands of sets of eyes filter past and get to take in the marketing collateral they provide. Strong visual displays draw people in and numerous employers have stated that building brand awareness is a key component of participating in these public events."
Moreover, by participating, companies get their names, logos, and websites attached to marketing materials sent out by university career centers and other organizations that host career fairs. "In a sense, it becomes a marketing multiplier for them that is attached to some excellent connections with a pipeline of new talent," he says.
3. You have an opportunity to meet with non-traditional candidates. "While many recruiters have a strong idea of a talent profile they are looking for such as a management major or a computer science major, career fairs also allow recruiters to find and talk to 'non-traditional' candidates," Petro explains. "One of the most frequent examples would be the outstanding liberal arts student, regardless of major, that has built up a rich and diverse skill-set that not only meets a recruiter's needs, but exceeds them."
4. You can meet and network with other corporations. Brooks says recruiters often enjoy the chance to meet and network with other recruiters and professionals in the field.
"While there is a continued increase in so many communications and transactions being done digitally, there is still nothing quite as effective as face-to-face contact," Petro concludes. "Career fairs serve as a vital bridge to connecting individuals and companies in mutually beneficial ways."
So what should you do to make the most of a job fair? Here are few ways to prepare and stand out:
- Bring useful and original materials. Potential candidates can learn almost everything about your company with a quick Google search. Make their time at the job fair worthwhile by offering information they couldn't easily find elsewhere. For instance, if your website doesn't show any visuals of the physical workspace, bring a laptop to the career fair and play a slideshow or video that offers job seekers a virtual tour of the office.
- Set up an eye-catching booth that will attract job seekers. "Have an attention-grabbing display that will make people more likely to stop by and visit your booth," says Brooks. The more job seekers you attract, the greater your talent pool will be at the end of that day.
- Move from behind the table. You have to stand out in a crowd (literally), says William Jones, a director in the Rutgers University Career Services office. "Push your table out of the way and show your own enthusiasm for the work that you do. You can't expect talent to always come and find you — especially when you are competing with other similar organizations looking for the same skill sets."
- Clearly identify the job openings within your company. Brooks says a board that reads, "Now hiring for..." and lists the available opportunities can go a long way to ensure that the right candidates stop by.
- Be open to all majors and backgrounds. Don't present materials that will only attract a specific group of candidates. For instance, you should avoid displaying signs that say things like: "Looking for business majors!" or "Are you a computer science professional? This is the company for you!" You could be missing out out on a highly qualified candidate who'd be a great fit.
- Don't just refer job seekers to your website. Brooks says the No. 1 complaint from job fair participants is that they talk to the employer and then they're told to "go online and apply." Candidates want to know that they have an "in" or a special relationship because they came to the career fair. "Otherwise, they could have just stayed home and applied online," she says.
- Utilize the alumni within your organization. No one is more excited and committed to recruiting students from a university than graduates of that university, Jones explains. "Many universities that host job fairs will provide recruiters or company representatives who are alumni with special pins or ribbons to help identify them to students." Students tend to seek out these representatives because they automatically have something in common with them, he says.


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This past Thursday, Chris Jericho joined Inside The Ropes to talk about his 2013 run in WWE. Here are the highlights from the interview:
On his mindset during WWE comebacks and fear of being a nostalgia act: It's never been a nostalgia thing for me. It's always been the way, that I try to re-invent myself, even from week to week when you're full time because people watch you every Monday for years and years. So if you have the same look, the same hair, the same costume, the same tights, the same moves, it gets boring. So I always try to recreate myself and reinvent what I was doing. When I came back in 2013, I didn't really know what to expect and suddenly I was in this role where I was doing some of the best work of my career. So it's fresh, because you're working with new guys and I've obviously got a big well that I can go into if I wanna use some stuff that I've done before. I'm not the type of guy that looks back to the past too much. I don't watch my own stuff, I definitely don't have all these memories of "I did this, then I did this and then I did this" I just remember a time frame. Like I'm writing my third book right now and I'm writing about the Shawn Michaels-Jericho feud from 2008 and I don't remember the specifics. I actually had to go online and find a timeline of some of the stuff cos I've never watched it because once it's done it's done and you move onto the next thing. So I don't really think too much about it, I just come back, do what I do and make sure I perform at the level that I've set for myself and once I can't do that then I won't come back, at all.
On the challenge of working with Fandango: Well I don't think you need to dissect it too much, it's working with a guy that nobody's ever seen before at a WrestleMania. There's your challenge, end of story. When you think of WrestleMania, you think you know what's the best match I can have, Undertaker, CM Punk or work with John Cena you know, but instead it's like "no you're not working with any of these guys you're working with a guy nobody has even seen wrestler before" It's a challenge, nobody knows him. Nobody knows his moveset. The basic principles of having a great match is working on the false finishes that people know. So say Punk, you've got the Go To Sleep, he's got the anaconda vice, he's got the bulldog outta the corner, he's got the spinkick, the elbow off the top, there's like ten things you can work with, that people will be buzzing about as soon as you start going into it. With a guy like Fandango, nobody had seen what he had done before, so it was my job to build him up the best I could in the 4 weeks or so to get him rolling so people gave a shit about the match. So we focused in on stuff. I came up with a lot of ideas. He had the legdrop off the top, so we had him do that every week, lets have him beat me up, have him do a few things so people actually give a fuck about the match when we have it. And they did, it was good so it all worked out. The night after WrestleMania he was probably the most popular guy in the whole arena. Not so much now, but at the time.
He also talks about if there's anyone else he'd like to wrestle, writing his third book, if he'd perform with Fozzy at a WWE show and more. Head over to http://www.facebook.com/theinsidenetwork to hear the interview.


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A) Location
The quarry Nußloch is located approximately 12 km from Heidelberg at the transition from the Upper Rhein Graben to the Kraichgau. The village Nußloch is located 1 km northwest from the quarry and the village Wiesloch are in southwest of the quarry.
B) Overview - Mining and recultivation
- Permitted mining area of the quarry: 237.66 ha (status 2010)
- Mining status (eastern part of the quarry): currently mining 30-50 ha
- Recreational utilisation: Nature trail; the nature trail belongs to the "GeoPark Odenwald-Bergstraße"
- Recultivation status: 80 ha (status 2010)
- Measures included in the recultivation plan 2001:
- Development of grasslands and meadows with scattered fruit trees
- Development of linear tree lines / hedgerows to achieve a coherent network of groves
- Development of fruit tree avenues to achieve a coherent network of groves
- Development of areas for natural succession on bare soil
- Development of south-facing open rock and loess walls
- Development of wetlands with perennial and ephemeral small water bodies
- Development of standing water bodies with shallow riverbanks
- Development of a mixed deciduous woodland in accordance with the local conditions and near-natural woodland edges
C) Conservation areas
Landscape conservation area:
- Bergstraße Süd, 226048 ha (overlaid)
Natura 2000 area:
- 6618-342 Kraichgau Meckesheim, 890 ha (partial overlaid; west)
- 6618-341 Kleiner Odenwald, 3569 ha (adjacent; north)
A) Existent habitats: see biotopes
B) Habitats to be promoted
- Neglected grasslands in semi nutrient habitats
- Neglected grasslands in alkaline habitats
- Grasslands with accumulations of heavy metals
- Shrubs and groves
- Open water bodies
- Wet-dry habitats
- Open quarry faces
- Forests with natural succession
C) Species to be promoted
- Grasshoppers
- Amphibians
- Reptile
- Orchids
D) Species (2000)
- Vascular plants and stoneworts: 436
- Birds: 100
- Amphibians: 12
- Reptile: 6
- Dragonflies: 18
- Grasshoppers: 21
- Butterflies: 39
- Spiders: 116 (1990)
- Other species: 30
E) Biotopes (2000)
- Pond
- Open water bodies
- Laid open rock formation by anthropogenic factors
- Loess wall
- Sandstone wall
- Scree pile
- Anthropogenic rock dump
- Adit
- Flood grassland
- Rich grasslands in semi nutrient habitats
- Neglected grassland in semi nutrient habitats
- Jaggy population of plants with high adaptation to mechanical pressure
- Submerged and floating leaf vegetation of standing water bodies
- Mudbank vegetation
- Typha
- Nitrophyte marginal vegetation
- Mesophytic marginal vegetation
- Marginal vegetation in dry and warm habitats
- Population of nettles
- Population of goldenrod
- Population of Calamagrostis epigejos
- Annual ruderal vegetation
- Perennial ruderal vegetation of dry and warm habitats
- Perennial ruderal vegetation from fresh to wet habitats
- Grasslands with heavy metals (Violetea calaminariae)
- Neglected grassland in alkaline habitats
- Field groves
- Copses of dry, warm and alkaline habitats
- Copses of semi nutrient habitats
- Copses of Prunus spinosa in semi nutrient habitats
- Copses of wet habitats
- Salix
- Blackberry copses
- Rose copses
- Clematis population
- Ivy population
- Grove
- Oak population in dry and warm habitats
- Woodruff beech forest
- Succession forest build of short-dated trees or with predominating broad leaved forest
- Maple population
- Robinia pseudoacacia forest
- Needle beam forest
- Afforestration area
- Areas with buildings
- Sealed road or place
- Tracks with water bounded cover
- Unfortified track or place
- grassland track
- Stockyard


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King Oddball
Blow up tanks! Collapse structures! Crash helicopters! Squash puny humans! Hurl boulders until nothing remains! END THE WORLD!
Actual World Ending Video Demonstration: bit.ly/kingoddball
"King Oddball is a nearly perfect gameplay experience, with just the right level of strange to remain memorable."
- Gamezebo 4.5 / 5
"Exudes fun in every way"
- 148Apps 4 / 5
"Silly premise, highly addictive game play, nice visuals, jazzy music."
- TouchMyApps 5 / 5
"Pick this game up for a tongue-lashing good time."
-AppAdvice 4 / 5
"Eccentric, internet-approved sense of humor and fantastic visual style."
-Casual Gameplay / Jayisgames
End the world with boulders! The King swings a boulder back and forth with his tongue and you get to release it by tapping on the screen. Time the release accurately and crush as many targets as possible with each boulder. Simple, but surprisingly addicting!
You'll get shiny extra boulders when crushing three or more targets with a single throw. To master the game you need to anticipate how boulders roll, bounce, and launch from explosions. Take advantage of collapsing structures too!
Conquer the world by defeating the humans in more than 120 fun and increasingly challenging levels!
- Single tap gameplay: easy to learn!
- Earth shaking massive physics action
- More than 120 levels + secrets!
- 15 Game Center achievements
- Eccentric art style
- Original music by Jonathan Geer
- Chat with King Oddball via the Odd Phone
-Full iOS7 Game Controller support!
End of the World footage:
Chat with the king:


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Many of my Stampin' Up! team members (not only those with blogs) share their gorgeous projects in our team's Facebook community – there's such amazing and inspiring creativity in this group! I'm always excited when my team's blog hop rolls around, though, because I get to share some of their amazing work with you. I'm just as excited to see their projects as you are, and I am proud to share them with you.
I am excited to welcome Lydia Fiedler to today's blog hop – what an honor that she agreed to join us! My team and I are ecstatic! If you are active on Splitcoast Stampers or love to look at cats on Facebook, then you may already be familiar with Lydia's brilliance. Lydia wows me all the time with her projects on her Understand Blue blog. So glad to have Lydia join us for this hop!Welcome to InKing Royalty's September Blog Hop! Today's Tricked Out Treats Blog Hop is filled with spooky, fun projects for Halloween. We are excited to share our creations with you today and hope these projects inspire you. After you read my post, I hope you'll hop over to the next person on the list at the base of this post.
Creep it Real
Halloween is a funny time. I love playing with spooky, creepy and dark images – maybe because my sense of humor can also be dark and sinister. At the same time, I'm a bit silly and fun-loving so cute, sweet Halloween images also appeal to me. I chose to play with Stampin' Up!'s Creep it Real stamp set for today's blog hop card. Here's my card:
- Just Creeping it Real. My card design started with a background of "Creep it Real" over and over on a panel of Very Vanilla. The sentiment has a little gap in the top, right corner that was perfect for another sentiment to fit right in. I used my trusty Stamp-a-ma-Jig to line up each word. Confession: I smudged one of the letters in the top, right corner, so I just snipped it out of the panel to create a smaller panel. Since the sentiment doesn't really show up on the outside (unless you work to see it), I added the "Creep it Real" sentiment to the inside, too. Here's a look at this super-fun and super-sweet set:
- Fun Trio. The focal panel of this fun card is the trio of cute spooks is adorable, right? I simple stamped each on a coordinating color and cut out the shapes. I popped them up with Mini Stampin' Dimensionals and then sat back to clap my hands about how cute they are. I mean, really. They are adorable! Here's a closer look:
- Cooky Fun Colors. I adore black and orange for Halloween, but other colors can really be sweet, too! To the traditional Basic Black and Pumpkin Pie, I added Wisteria Wonder (a soft, gray purple) and Lemon Lime Twist (the brightest green you could imagine) for this silly, but beautifully sophisticated) card. If you like this combination, too, please save this:
Stamp Sets: Creep it Real Papers: Pumpkin Pie, Basic Black, Wisteria Wonder, Lemon Lime Twist, Very Vanilla Inks: Archival Basic Black Accessories: Stampin' Dimensionals, Mini Stampin' Dimensionals
Thank you for stopping by today. I hope you'll hop along to the next stop on the blog hop, Jennifer Spiller at Westside Paper Creations. There's lots of inspiration to be found in this group – and you don't want to miss it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Thank you for hopping along with us. If you get stuck during the Blog Hop, please use this line-up as a guide:
- Lydia Fiedler at Understand Blue
- Brian King at Stamp with Brian
- Jennifer Spiller at Westside Paper Creations
- Julie DiMatteo at The Paper Pixie
- Lisa Pretto at Ink Big Academy Stamps
- Shawn de Oliveira at Shawn Stamps
- Lynn Kolcun at Avery's Owlery
- Sheryl Sharp at Sharp Notes by Sheryl
- Robin Myren at Songbird Designs by Robin
- Racheal Shedeed at Bluebonnet Stampin'
- Jackie Beers at Blue Line Stamping
- Karen Browning at Karen Z Browning
- Candy Ford at Stamp Candy


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The Game -- Could Face Charges Over Twitter Prank
The Game COULD FACE CHARGES OVER TWITTER PRANK
Rapper The Game could face criminal charges after he tweeted the phone number of the sheriff's station in Compton, CA -- but told people it was the number to call for an internship -- causing the station's phone lines to become overrun with calls and delaying emergency services.
The calls began around 5:20 PM PT, with most callers hanging up when they heard it was a sheriff's station ... and the rest asking how they could intern for The Game.
Deputies eventually discovered The Game's tweets and Sheriff's Capt. Mike Parker tweeted at him to put an end to it (see above). The Game eventually responded (also above) and deleted the tweets.
The calls ended around 8:00 PM, but Capt. Parker said it was unclear how many people with legitimate calls could not get through during that time.
According to the Sheriff's Department, they plan on turning over a complaint to the District Attorney's office to possibly file charges -- including delaying or obstructing a peace officer in the performance of their duties.


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This JUST showed up in my email......
Three Bulls
> Three bulls heard via the grapevine that the rancher was going to bring
> another bull onto the ranch, and the prospect raised a discussion among them.
> The first bull says, "Boys, we all know I've been here 5 years. Once we
> settled our differences, we agreed on which 100 of the cows would be mine. Now, I
> don't know where this newcomer is going to get HIS cows, but I ain't' givin'
> him any of mine."
> The second bull says, "That pretty much says it for me, too. I've been here
> 3 years and have earned my right to the 50 cows we've agreed are mine. I'll
> fight 'im till I run him off or kill 'im, but I'M KEEPIN' ALL MY COWS."
> The third bull says, "I've only been here a year, and so far you guys have
> only let me have 10 cows to "take care of". I may not be as big as you fellows
> yet, but I am young and virile, so I simply MUST keep all MY cows."
> They had just finished their big talk when an eighteen-wheeler pulls up in
> the middle of the pasture with only ONE ANIMAL IN IT: the biggest
> Son-of-Another-Bull these guys had ever seen! At 4700 pounds, each step he took toward
> the ground strained the steel ramp to the breaking point.
> The first bull says, "Ahem...You know, it's actually been some time since I
> really felt I was doing all my cows justice, anyway. I think I can spare a
> few for our new friend."
> The second bull says, "I'll have plenty of cows to take care of if I just
> stay on the opposite end of the pasture from HIM. I'm certainly not looking for
> an argument."
> They look over at their young friend, the third bull, and find him pawing
> the dirt, shaking his horns, and snorting up a storm.
> The first bull says, "Son, let me give you some advice real quick. Let him
> have some of your cows and live to tell about it."
> The third bull says, "Heck, he can have ALL my cows. I'm just making sure he
> knows I'M a bull!"


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You can find more scripts for MRL and for InMoov in the Download tab:
If the script is a Inmoov.xxx it is for the MRL version 1695
If the script is a inmoov2.xxx it is for the latest versions
I have modified the pin setting of jaw servo between the two versions
I have added eyes pins which now allow 4 PID tracking.
-Version 1695 pin 12 on Arduino Uno (right side of the robot)
-Version latests pin 26 on Arduino Mega (left side of the robot)
You can find the hardware map and pins connections for inmoov 2.0 here:
InMoov 2.0 is a new service implemented in MyRobotLab, FASTER, STRONGER, BETTER!!
Thanks to Grog, and Alessandro we are progressing!!
Patchwork by Grog


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Create a Website Account - Manage notification subscriptions, save form progress and more.
Where individual foundations are provided for lawn memorials ideally these will be situated on un-dug ground at the head end of the grave. In these circumstances and with the use of ground anchors and fixings that comply with the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) Recommended Code of Practice, it is still possible to erect a memorial almost immediately.
In cemeteries where the headstone is erected directly on the excavated area of the grave there may be a period stipulated in the cemetery regulations which gives the ground time to settle and consolidate. During this period the cemetery staff should monitor any sinkage that becomes apparent and top up periodically with topsoil until settlement ceases. This period may differ around the country due to differing soil types and conditions. Even after settlement has ceased it is advisable to ensure that your memorial mason adopts the NAMM Code of Practice.
Show All Answers
It is against the law to disturb human remains without license (including cremated remains in a casket or urn), and therefore no further burials will be possible in the grave until a license has been obtained. Cremated remains can be buried in the grave at full depth, in which case they will not be disturbed by further full body burials, but by having to excavate a grave to this depth there will be additional charges for opening the grave.
When a new grave is purchased it is not the ownership of the land itself that is purchased, but the rights to have burials take place in that grave. These rights are sold, or to be more correct, 'granted' together with the rights to erect a memorial on the grave in accordance with the rules and regulations of the cemetery.
It is important that you select the cemetery that will provide you with the type of memorial that you require as regulations differ from area to area. This can be checked out by contacting the cemetery office and making inquiries about the choices and options available.
Ownership of the exclusive Right of Burial in a grave can be transferred from a deceased owner via that owner's estate. The means of transfer can be very complex and while there is a set procedure to follow, each case must be looked at individually. If you need to transfer ownership when all owners are deceased you will need to contact the cemetery office where staff will arrange for a transfer to take place in compliance with the law.
The City of Arlington is responsible for maintaining the cemetery in a safe condition, you have a responsibility to maintain your memorial in a safe condition. If you fail to do this the cemetery staff may take action to make the memorial safe. Cemetery staff carry out routine inspections of memorials in the cemetery and when one is identified as being unstable and likely to fall and injure someone it might be cordoned off, laid flat or have a temporary support installed.
You will receive a letter in these circumstances and it will be your responsibility to arrange suitable repair. Should your memorial still be under guarantee the memorial mason will be responsible to carry out repair at no extra cost to yourself. Should you ignore the notice sent to you your memorial may well be laid flat and when the lease expires you will not be allowed to renew it until repairs are made. Should no repairs be carried out and after further notification the memorial may be lawfully removed from the cemetery.
Your memorial mason also has a responsibility to provide a memorial of merchantable quality and to erect it in a safe manner. You should insist that the memorial is erected in accordance with the National Association of Memorial Masons (NAMM) Recommended Code of Practice and seek a guarantee from your memorial mason.
When a grave is purchased to take two full body burials, the depth to which the grave is excavated for the first burial must take into account the need for the second burial. There are legal requirements as to how much earth must be left on top of the last coffin, and it is therefore not physically possible to put an extra coffin into the grave without breaking the law. However, after the grave is full for coffined burial cremated remains caskets or urns may still be buried within the grave.
No. Graves cannot be opened without the permission in writing of the registered owner of the grave. The only exception to this is where the burial is to be that of the registered owner in which case no written authority is required. The law protects your rights as registered owner of the grave.
Yes, but the cemetery will need to be advised of this before the funeral takes place so that they are prepared.
Some cultures require that the grave is filled in while the families watch or they may wish to undertake the back filling of the grave themselves. When families want this it is essential that the cemetery is made aware of their requirements when the burial is first arranged. This will ensure that the family's wishes are met and that their safety is protected during the back filling process.
Graves are prepared for burial at least one full day before the funeral and are covered overnight. The ICCM Guiding Principles for Burial Services states that immediately after the mourners have departed the graveside, the grave shall be entirely back filled and made tidy. This work is completed on the day of the burial and coffins should not be left uncovered overnight.
Some authorities have introduced a wide range of graves to give people as many options as possible when arranging the burial of a loved one. For many the lawn grave is considered to be the best.
Graves have to be dug to a sufficient depth to allow for future burials to take place. Therefore the grave needs to be deep enough to allow not only for the depth of coffins/caskets that will be buried but also to accommodate legal requirements of undisturbed earth to be between each coffin and the amount of earth that must cover the last interment.


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A Vancouver woman is suing a laser hair removal company for causing her severe pain and permanent scarring as a result of the treatment.
In a civil suit filed at B.C. Supreme Court on Nov. 12, Danielle Jean Teena Nadeau alleged she was left with scars and in severe pain after she paid an Ideal Image MedSpa in Vancouver for laser hair removal on her legs and bikini area.
Nadeau's claim states she had her laser hair removal with a technician, dubbed Jane Doe in court files, on June 19 at 2:30 p.m. at Ideal Image's 2825 Granville Street location.
Nadeau said this was the eighth session in her leg and bikini hair removal, but the first time she was treated by this technician.
Court documents allege the technician did not perform a patch test or ask Nadeau any questions before starting the treatment.
Nadeau felt "far more pain" than usual during the treatment and alleged that when she told the technician about the pain, Jane Doe appeared "unconcerned."
Nadeau alleges she experience "severe pain" in her legs and genital area throughout and after the service but states that when she returned to Ideal Image later that evening, she was told to just call the manager.
At 11 p.m., Nadeau said she headed to Vancouver General Hospital for help.
Nadeau alleges she suffered severe laser burns to her legs and genitals, as well as permanent scarring in those areas. She also claimed to suffer from anxiety, depression, loss of self-confidence and embarrassment as a result of her injuries.
Nadeau is seeking general and special damages, as well as compensation for past and future wage loss, future help and other funds.
Ideal Image has not filed a response and none of the claims have been proven in court.
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The Indian sub-continent has a tradition of visual arts dating back more than 5000 years. The works of art produced are diverse in their style, subject and medium used; they are at once complex interpretations of philosophical musings and manifestations of 'bhakti' or a devotee's love for higher beings. The sheer scale and depth of the artistic traditions of the sub continent continue to enthrall the connoisseur and common man alike. A Historical Overview The Indus Valley Civilization with its well planned towns did not leave any record of monumental sculpture, but what it did have was fabulous miniature sculptures in stone, metal and terracotta. With the emergence of new religions, Buddhism and Jainism, there was an efflorescence in art and architecture: rock cut caves, stupas and elaborately carved doorways. The Mauryans in the North were superseded by the Sungas during 200-75 B.C. and the great stone stupas of Barhut and Sanchi with intricate carving in high relief are two important creations of that age. During the Kushana period around 1-500 AD a separate school of sculpture flourished in Gandhara, situated in Kabul Valley along with the Mathura school. The later Gupta period (300-600 A.D) has been called the classical or the golden age of Indian Art. In the later periods, a contemporary style of art was developed by the Chalukya and Rashtrakutas incorporating art in the architecture of temples and this influence continued through the Pallava and Chola dynasties until 800-1300 AD. During this period, a number of temples arose depicting various themes of Hindu pantheons of gods and goddesses, beautifully sculpted in stone. The sculptures depict a variety of subjects of everyday life, including erotic scenes. Khajuraho in Bundelkand was a great centre of art under the Chandela kings during 950-1200 AD. In all, about thirty temples dedicated to Shiva, Vishnu and Jain pontiffs were built during this period. Individual sculptures of great beauty continued all over the country. The Pala Sena kings ruled over Bengal and Bihar and the Pallavas followed by the Cholas dominated much of Southern India. The Pratihara and the Rajput Clans controlled Western India. Each of the periods contributed in creating the rubric of 'Indian Art'. Two Millennia of Paintings Indian painting has a history that spans two thousand years. The earliest phase recorded was between the 1st and 7th century AD in the form of the frescoes painted in the Buddhist cave temples at Ajanta in Western Deccan. Not only did the tradition of wall painting continue well into the 19th century, but the early miniaturist drew their form and style from the wall paintings. The some of the earliest illustrated Buddhist and Jain religious manuscripts in eastern and western India date back from 1000 AD. First these were produced on palm leaves and during the last quarter of the 14th century, on paper. The shift in the use of palm versus paper brought about stylistic and compositional changes in the miniature format and this phase continued for almost 600 years. During the late 15th and early 16th centuries, the Muslim Sultans ruled a greater part of Northern India. During this period, some of the Persian and Turkish painters were employed by the Muslim rulers whose creations resulted in the development of a different style one which saw a syncretism of the Persian and Indian styles. Outside of the gamut of the Sultanate courts miniatures depicting Indian subjects like the Chaurpanchasika, Bhagvata Purana were painted and these were marked by angular drawings, vibrant colours. The next phase in the history of miniature paintings began in the Mughal courts. Before his ascendance to the throne, Akbar, the founder of the Great Mughal Empire in India (1556-1605 A.D) had received training in painting from the celebrated Persian painter Mir Sayyad Ali and Abd-As-Samad. He was particularly impressed with the works of Hindu painters and there are numerous references to show that he was passionately fond of painting. Royal patronage drew the best talent and artists of different styles came to the Royal atelier from distant parts of the country. The two Persian masters were put in charge of the Imperial Studio when Akbar moved his capital to Fatehpur Sikri. Jehangir, who succeeded Akbar, was connoisseur par excellence who, when he ascended the throne in 1605, pruned the Royal workshop, retaining only the most outstanding painters. Mughal painting continued its glorious course until about 1680. Deccan Flowering The second half of the 16th century saw the flowering of Deccan painting in the Sultanates of Ahmednagar, Bijapur and Golconda, who maintained a highly lyrical style born out of the fusion of Persian, Turkish and South Indian Hindu elements. Rajput Painting School A number of Rajput princes were in command of the Mughal armies in the Deccan during the 17th century. Many of these princes came from Rajasthan, bringing along with them the essential trappings of the Mughal court including their painters. The beginning of the Rajasthan School of painting are contemporaneous with those of the Mughal School developing a style of Hindu devotional Bhakti movement and romantic subjects such as Gita Govinda, Balagopala Sthuti. Thereafter a number of Schools developed in Northern India more or less in the same style as that of Chaurpanchasika such as the Rajasthani Chawanda Ragamala and in some cases with Mughal influence in miniatures from Bikaner, Kisangarh, Jaipur, Ajmir, Mewar, Malwa, Bundi and Kota. However, it was not to last and in around 1680, Aurangazeb disbanded the Royal atelier and the unemployed artists dispersed in search of new avenues and patrons. Some of the artists went to the Punjab Hill states and are responsible for the creation of the Pahari style, as we know it today. Pahari Miniatures As in the Rajasthan School, a number of sub-styles developed in Pahari painting and some of the earliest and most dynamic are Basohli, Mankot, Jasrota, Chamba, Jammu and Nurpur. Guler paintings of the second half of the 18th century are prized for their exquisite brushwork and lyrical talents. The most prolific school was Kangra under Raja Sansar Chand and the fine paintings continued to be produced until the first quarter of the 19th century. Ragamala Paintings Indian music since ages has been the subtlest instrument of emotional integration bringing together people of different faiths, traditions and customs. With its transcendental character and universal appeal music has never known barriers of caste, creed or sect but has rather been a major force in joining in harmony the hearts it had access to. The theory of ragas – an unparalleled system – is the basis of Indian music. Ragas are said to have emanated in the past from rituals, but in their later innovations the adherents of all religious sects or composing their hymns practised them alike. Sufis had special fascination for ragas. Their seats echoed with them. Amir Khusro – the Sufi poet and musician – invented Sitar, an instrument without which Indian music would have been incomplete. Ragas or musical mode have their specific intonations, time and situation; for when they are sung, they arouse specific emotions or rasas. The principal ragas are six and their offshoots, known as ragapatnis and ragaputras, vary from 84 to 108. Each raga or its offshoots, has the capacity of invoking one human emotion or the other. The Indian master painters personified the spirit of the ragas turning them into visual forms encompassing contemporary social and cultural enviornment. The immense lyrical and imaginative possibilities involved in such personifications inspired the Indian artists, both Hindu and Muslim, the strive for excellence in the visual representation of ragas. The ragamala paintings, unique to Indian art, communicate through lines and colours what has traditionally been conveyed through sound. The paintings are invariably based on the literary renderings of ragas. Raga paintings have given to the art world some of its masterpieces. Ragas as a theme have been widely followed in miniature paintings by artists of all sects, schools and periods – Pre-Mughal and post-Mughal. The painters of ragamala have followed the texts of Narada, Haribhallabha, Hanuman and Meshkaran for their artistic modalities of ragas, but their art innovations are quite different from the texts. The painters have created a new mythology of music. Muslim artists like Sahibdin of Mewar and Ruknudin of Bikaner have shown their great skills through ragamala paintings. Ragamala paintings, personifying ragas either as divine forms or as figures from mythology and court, are both universal and secular. The Form of Sculpture Stone Sculpture The development of sculptural arts has grown through centuries from the Indus valley civilization in the third millennium (2300-2250 BC). Beautiful objects in bronze, stone and terracotta dating from that time have been excavated across the sub continent. Sculptures in stone form an integral part of the aesthetic idiom of Classical Indian art, as decorations on temples like those from Khajuraho or as standalone figurines like the Didarganj Yakshini or the many Buddha figurines. The trajectory of Indian sculpture is marked by continuous evolution that seems to overlap with the ruling dynasty, which is not surprising as much of the patronage came from royal houses. The zenith of Indian classical arts was reached during the Gupta rule from the 4th to 6th century; it was during this period that the treatment of the human form was at its most lyrical, graceful and balanced representation. The tradition of stone sculpture had taken root in across the sub continent and manifested itself in many styles and idioms, like those of Pallavas and Chola or Pala Sena kingdoms from Bengal. Casting Metals Among the arts which figures prominently in the rich treasury of Indian culture was that of casting images in metal, which has a long and glorious history. An outstanding statue of dancing girl was found in Mohenjodaro is about 4500 years old and is from the Indus Valley Civilization. Casting in bronze culminated in the remarkable images of the Pallavas and later of the Chola dynasties in Southern India. The Pallavas continued to produce bronzes between the 6th and 10th centuries AD the bronze Avalokiteswara of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London is a fine example. The appeal of these figurines lies not only in their aesthetic sensibilities which were guided by the Shilpa Sashtras but also the technique, namely the lost wax process or cire perdue. The art of making bronzes continued and spread throughout the region under the Nayakas during the 17th and 18th centuries. Wood Carvings The recorded history of woodcarvings began in Kerala from 1214 AD with the figures and friezes carved on the ceilings of the central shrine and prostration halls of the temple such as Mahadeva temple at Katinamkulam in Kerala. The roof is supported by carved bracket figures showing temple dancers. The neighboring states of Tamil Nadu also sustained an almost equally prolific guild of wood carvers from the 16th to the 19th centuries AD. The states of Gujarat as well as Orissa also produced some intricate woodcarvings where wood was used extensively for architecture during the 10th to the 19th centuries. Like the metal cast images, the art of woodcarving in India also continues as a living tradition to this day. Decorative Wood Several art historians claim that the use of decorative carved wooden features was in existence and incorporated in the earliest styles of architecture even before stone and brick became preferred building materials. Surviving examples of whole wooden temples, carved and architectural columns are found in Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Orissa. Owing to the abundant supply of timber, some of the earliest and finest woodcarving came from Kerala, which formerly comprised of Malabar and princely states of Travancore and Cochin. Wood naturally formed the principal material for the construction of temples, palaces and houses from the earliest times.


text: Arranging business travel has never been more straightforward. With Egencia's global platform, you can book, manage and expense your corporate travel all in one place. Let's imagine you're travelling abroad to attend a conference in a few weeks, and since it's in the vicinity, you're going to tie in some prospect and customer meetings while you're there. You booked your flights and accommodation, and now it's time to organise transport for when you land. Will you jump in a cab to the hotel, ride the subway to your four back-to-back meetings and jump back in a cab to attend your dinner plans? Or does it make more sense to rent a car? Whether making multiple stops or attending far-flung meetings, there are plenty of situations where renting a car is the best option.


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Please visit our Fireworks/Fire Prevention page for current information on fireworks restrictions in Draper.
Show All Answers
The fire code allows residents to have small recreational fires at their residences. The "fuel area" (fire pit) may not exceed 3 feet in diameter by 2 feet in height. Burning is limited to dry, clean, natural materials; no garbage, plastics, rubber, oils, or construction waste.
First verify that it is a "green" burn day by checking the air quality forecast by going to air.utah.gov, or by downloading the UtahAir app from the Android or iOS store.
Keep open fires 25 feet away from structures or combustible materials. Fires contained in improved barbecue pits or portable outdoor fireplaces require a minimum of 15 feet of clearance. LP or natural gas fire pits or grills require 10 feet of clearance.
Have a method of extinguishment readily available. Keep a garden hose or bucket of water nearby.
Fires must be constantly attended until fully extinguished.
"Offensive, Objectionable, or Nuisance" fires are no longer required to be extinguished unless the fire is causing a hazardous situation. If all burning requirements are met and the fire is not causing a hazardous situation, the fire department does not have the authority to extinguish the fire.
Air.Utah.gov has some great online resources for knowing when it's safe to burn, and when it will negatively impact the air we breathe. Check out https://air.utah.gov/ for hourly updates on air quality and the resultant permissions or restrictions on burning wood in your fireplace or woodstove, or burning for any purpose.
There's also an app for that: You may download the UtahAir app from the Android or iOS store.
Residential burning of clean yard waste, grass clippings, weeds, tree trimmings, and other material is not allowed in Salt Lake County or in Draper City.
Draper City is unique in that it straddles the border between Salt Lake and Utah counties, with parts of our fair town falling into each county's jurisdiction. Since more of Draper's acreage is in Salt Lake County than Utah County, we defer to Salt Lake County's guidelines for burn and other prohibitions.
The burning of leaves is considered open burning, which falls under the same requirements as burning of clean yard waste, grass clippings, weeds, tree trimmings, and other material. It is not allowed in Salt Lake County or in Draper City.
Remember that recreational fires are allowed, within strict guidelines (see above). "Offensive, Objectionable, or Nuisance" fires are not required to be extinguished unless the fire is causing a hazardous situation. If all burning requirements are met and the fire is not causing a hazardous situation, the fire department does not have the authority to extinguish the fire.
However, if the fire is non-recreational and is against code, i.e. burning of clean yard waste, grass clippings, weeds, tree trimmings, leaves and other material, then it is not allowed in Salt Lake County or in Draper City. Please report this type of burning to Draper Fire by calling 801-576-6500 or by calling 911.
This type of violation falls under the jurisdiction of our city code enforcement division. A code enforcement complaint covers signs, weeds, and trash. To report a code violation, please submit this form.
If your detectors are older than 10 years then you should change their batteries every 6 months. A great tutorial on how to do that can be found here, or you may search online for other resources related to your specific device.
If you have a smoke detector manufactured after 2010, then those batteries are built to last for a decade. Once the 10 years is up, you should replace the entire detector. You can easily search online for videos and instructions for your specific device, like the Kidde Sealed Lithium Battery Power Smoke Alarm i9010 here. Make sure to search for your specific device and model number and follow the instructions provided.
Draper Fire is here to serve the community in every way possible, but our first and foremost priority is having enough staff on call at all times to handle fire-related crises and emergencies that can arise in an instant. Most smoke detector battery changing situations are straightforward enough for a resident to handle on their own. However, if you have special needs, or your residence has special circumstances, that prevent you from being able to take care of this important matter yourself, we are happy to assist whenever organization and community needs allow. Please call 385-557-2805 for further assistance.
Although some extinguishers can be recharged, this is dangerous without the right training. Hire a trained professional to make sure your extinguisher is safe and gets recharged with the correct chemical extinguishing agent. If the extinguisher has a metal head and metal neck it is refillable by a Utah State Certified Fire Extinguisher Company. If it has a plastic head it is not refillable, and you should purchase a new one.
Check your favorite search engine for Utah State Certified Fire Extinguisher Companies. A single recharge typically costs between $15 and $25. Depending on the size and original cost of your extinguisher, a recharge may be more budget-friendly than buying a new extinguisher.
We offer many public education programs, including First Aid Training (CPR/AED Classes, Push To Survive, Basic First Aid). We also offer Fire Extinguisher Classes and Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) classes.
There are many reasons children may experiment with fire, and they are all of concern to those in the fire service. Often children (as well as adults) are unable to make proper choices to remain safe around fire. If a child you care about has played with matches, lighters, fireworks, candles, has set a fire or has shown a curiosity of fire that worries you, please contact us about our Youth Firesetter Intervention Program. You can reach out to our Fire Prevention Office at 385-557-2806 and be put in touch with our Youth Firesetter Coordinator.
Chinese Lanterns, also known as Khoom Fay, Paper Lanterns, or Sky Lanterns, are floating lanterns made from flammable materials that are lit like candles. They emit a stunning glow, stay lit for up to 20 minutes, and can travel several miles. While beautiful and exciting, these lanterns create an extreme fire hazard and are prohibited in any part of Draper City. View the Chinese Lantern Information Sheet here.
Tethered Chinese Lanterns are also prohibited in any part of Draper City. Though they remain in one spot, the fire hazard they create in our beautiful foothills is real and dangerous.
To protect lives and property, the use of fireworks in prohibited areas will be strictly enforced. In general, fireworks are NOT allowed south of 138th South, east of 1300 East and west of I-15. Fireworks are NOT allowed in the Suncrest area. Fireworks are NOT allowed in all Draper City Parks per City Code Section 15-1-050 (g): "Possession and Use of Firearms, Dangerous Weapons, or Fireworks. It shall be unlawful for any person to carry or discharge any firearm or explosive of any kind including fireworks at a recreation facility excepting law enforcement officers and those who are allowed by state code or have received written consent to do so from the Manager."
Sparklers are allowed in all areas of Draper, however residents are asked to use precaution in dry, grassy areas. Always have a bucket of water nearby to douse the hot sparklers.
Residents in non-prohibited areas may discharge fireworks between the hours of 11 am and 11 pm except as noted. Please visit our Fireworks/Fire Prevention page for information on current restrictions.
July 2 – July 5 (July 4 hours extended to midnight)
July 22 – 25 (July 24 hours extended to midnight)
December 31* (11 am – 1 am January 1)
Chinese New Year's Eve (11 am – 1 am the following day)
*If New Year's Eve is on a Sunday and the local governmental jurisdiction determines to celebrate New Year's Eve on the prior Saturday (Dec 30), then it is lawful to discharge Class C common state-approved explosives on that prior Saturday.
Please note: Class C fireworks are not allowed during Draper Days events in July. (Draper Days did not take place in 2020 due to COVID-19.)
To protect lives and property, the use of fireworks in prohibited areas will be strictly enforced.


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Prints and Drawings Room
View by appointment- Artist
- Sir William Rothenstein 1872–1945
- Part of
- English Portraits
- Medium
- Lithograph on paper
- Dimensions
- Image: 377 × 250 mm
- Collection
- Tate
- Acquisition
- Presented by Sir John Rothenstein through the Friends of the Tate 1981
- Reference
Catalogue entry
P11042 [from] ENGLISH PORTRAITS 1897–8 [P11033-P11044; incomplete]
Not inscribed
Twelve lithographs (from a set of 24) printed by T. Way, published by Grant Richards in an edition of 750, in range 10 1/4×4 1/2–10 1/2×9 1/2 (26×11.5–26.6×24.2)
Presented by Sir John Rothenstein through the Friends of the Tate Gallery 1981
'English Portraits' was issued in twelve parts with a pair of lithographs in each. The subjects of the present twelve are: Sir Frederick Pollock and Thomas Hardy (Part I), Sir Francis Seymour Haden and William Archer (Part II), The Right Reverend Dr Creighton and the Marchioness of Granby (Part III), Robert Bridges and Alphonse Legros (Part VII), Charles Villiers Stanford and George Bernard Shaw (Part VIII), Mrs Meynell and Charles Ricketts and Charles Shannon (Part IX). The portraits were drawn between 1897 and 1898; the edition was 750 but many of them were destroyed by a fire at the binders and only a small proportion of that number appeared.
Published in:
The Tate Gallery 1980-82: Illustrated Catalogue of Acquisitions, London 1984
- objects(23,571)
- clothing and personal items(5,879)
- suit(301)
- individuals: male(1,841)
- arts and entertainment(7,210)
- artist, painter(2,545)


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As one woman said,
In my fourth move in four years, when I was packing up my grandmother's six sets of dessert plates once again, I knew I'd never used any of them, ever. It hit me that I didn't even like most of them very much, couldn't put them in the dishwasher, and had felt obligated to keep them so I would remember her. But I didn't get anything out of having them. When I sat down and thought about it, I realized that I would remember my grandmother with those plates or without. And I was happier getting rid of them instead of hauling them to another house.From Dematerializing: Taming the Power of Possessions, by Jane Hammerslough
[Photo from Stacy's Shabby Shoppe]


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Fish products recalled from supermarkets amid botulism fears
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) said the recall by Campsie Glen Smokehouse followed concerns about the company's procedures to control Clostridium botulinum, which can lead to botulism.
The FSA said no trace of the toxin, which can cause "serious" food poisoning, had been found in tested products, but a recall was being carried out as a precaution.
It said the company had been unable to demonstrate satisfactory controls aimed at preventing the growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum.
The World Health Organisation warns that the bug can cause paralysis of motor and autonomic nerves, usually starting with cranial nerves.
A statement from the FSA read: "Manufacturing controls aimed at preventing the growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum could not be demonstrated satisfactorily by the company.
"The issue relates to controlling factors to prevent the growth and toxin production of Clostridium botulinum.
"The botulinum toxin may cause a serious form of food poisoning called botulism. Although no trace of the toxin has been found in products tested, a recall from customers is being carried out as a precautionary measure."
The affected products are Campsie Glen Smokehouse Smoked Halibut, Campsie Glen Smokehouse Trout and Campsie Glen Smokehouse Smoked Salmon in 100g packs with use-by dates of April 6, 11, 13 and 27.
The batch codes are 2063, 2064, 2065, 2066, 2067, 2069, 2070, 2071, and some of these codes may have the letter I, H or L at the end.
No other Campsie Glen Smokehouse products are known to be affected.
The statement added: "The Campsie Glen Smokehouse Ltd is recalling the affected batches and point-of-sale notices will be displayed in stores where the product is sold.
"These notices explain to customers why the product is being recalled and tells them what actions to take if they have bought the product.
"If you have bought one of the above products, do not eat it. Instead, return it to the store where it was bought for a full refund."


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"Thank you for the quick repair you did on my iPad screen, I am very pleased with the service and will certainly recommend you."
Music plays an increasingly important part in our lives, and the invention of the iPod in all its various incarnations (iPod Nano, iPod Touch and iPod Classic to name three), means that you can have your own choice of music close at hand to provide the soundtrack to your activitiesat work and at play. But what if your iPod gets damaged or you just can't get it to work? Don't worry, iTechnician network can help, and the great news is that it's local to you – just search our network for an iTechnician located in or near Hullbridge, Essex , and your iPod repair is as good as done.
iTechnician offers an iPod repair service that centres on your individual needs as a customer, whichever model of iPod you own, whether it's the iPod Classic, iPod Touch or iPod Nano, our iTechnicians based in Hullbridge, Essex have the expertise and equipment to carry out a wide range of fault diagnoses and iPod repairs:
We appreciate how expensive electronic products are, and how annoying it can be when they fail, so we work hard to minimise any disruption to normal service, and offer rapid resolution to your iPod faults, at a reasonable cost.
If you don't want to send your iPod away to be repaired, why not make use of the walk-in while-u-wait iPod repair service. The iTechnician network in Hullbridge, Essex aims to complete most repairs within the hourat the local site, or if you prefer, you can use the call-out service, where the iTechnician comes to you (at home or at work), and carries out the iPod repairs at a time and place to suit your busy life.
If you prefer to send off your iPod for repair, then no problem, we can do that for you too – iTechnician network is a one-stop shop for all your iPod repair needs, and all at an affordable price.
To get a quote for your iPod repair, please complete our simple repair quote form:
For rapid and cost-effective iPod repairs, you can't do better than to search iTechnician for repair services in Hullbridge, Essex.
iTechnician is a network of likeminded iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac and Apple Watch repairers covering England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The technicians have a combined experience of over 400 years in repairing Apple devices. iTechnician was formed with one vision, to provide an affordable, reliable and honest Apple device repair service to private and commercial customers in the UK. Our technicians provide just what you need - professional, local repair service at low prices and a free smile on all jobs .
Whatever your needs, we have rapid and affordable iPhone, iPad, iPod, Mac and Apple Watch repair services near you.
iPhone repairs iPad repairs Mac repairs iPod Touch repairs iPod Nano repairs iPod Classic repairs
With the iTechnician network covering the whole of the United Kingdom our trusted, local teams are able to repair or buy back your Apple device at the right price. Contact your local iTechnician for fast and cost-effective iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac repairs.
Aberdeen | Belfast | Birmingham | Brentford | Bristol | Cardiff | Edinburgh | Glasgow | Lancaster | Leeds | Leicester | Liverpool | London | Londonderry | Manchester | Milton Keynes | Newcastle | Nottingham | Oxford | Poplar | Sheffield | Thames Ditton | More iTechnician Locations...
"Thank you for the quick repair you did on my iPad screen, I am very pleased with the service and will certainly recommend you."
"Had an iPhone 6 screen replaced at Stotfold Services. Quick and friendly service and the phone's as good as new."
"So helpful and friendly when I took my iPad in, as far removed from the stereotypical stand-offish techy type as you can imagine."
"I had an excellent experience with iTechnician. They fixed my iPhone and it is now as good as new."
"I contacted iTechnician on my dad's recommendation, and I'm glad I did. Totally professional and would recommend!"
"Increased the memory on my Apple iMac, when I approached iTechnician they offered to do it without charge."


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For Lucid Lynx , the technical goal of Impression and Night Impression is to bring both themes to a common code base. The differences between the two themes is visible in the background color of the menu panels, the color of the scroll bars, and the adoption of the Humanity icon theme for Impression and the Humanity-Dark icon theme for Night Impression.
The desire is to offer two themes from the Ubuntu community to stand side-by-side with the professionally developed Human theme from Canonical.
The objective is to enhance the user computing experience by applying balance and harmony to the Gnome Desktop framing applications in such a manner as to permit the eye to focus without distraction on the content displayed.
As many users express a desire to use a theme framed in dark borders and titles as evidenced by the number of "dark" themes submitted to sites such as Ubuntu Art and Gnome Art, the pallets of Impression and Night Impression are as dark as practical.
The author assumes many Gnome applications were designed anticipating the desktop would be brushed in lighter colors and these solutions may not present well against a dark canvas. Key subject areas from the standard Ubuntu installation provided guidance in creating the final solution. For the most part desktop and embedded application icons were the metric for determining panel colors. The author concedes dark icons display poorly against a dark background.
Once the base color was discovered the task became adding additional complimentary colors. The "toolbar" provides a styling opportunity using adding the gradient functionality of the murrine engine. Lighting the "toolbar" buttons is another opportunity as exhibited by Nautilus.
Bluefish is a good example of the use of Notebook tabs which are also themed in Firefox.
Finally, the gold standard in my opinion is the Inkscape application which uses a wide variety of GTK widgets.
As Lucid Lynx is a Long Term Support (LTS) release the emphasis is stability and changes have been keep to a minimum.
Impression Desktop Featuring Lucid Butterfly Wallpaper
Night-Impression Desktop Featuring Lucid Leaves Wallpaper
New Metacity Theme Screenshots
I reworked the Impression metacity theme using "Sonar" as a base. I like the end result but the Appearance Preferences icons are still not as good as I feel they should be. This may be a bug?
Gnome Solitaire
View Larger
Night Impression Menu
View Larger
Impression Menu
View Larger
Impression Appearance Preferences Dialog
Note light scrollbar - View Larger
Night Impression Appearance Preferences Dialog
Note dark scrollbar - View Larger
My Lucid Lynx Submissions
Ubuntu Artwork Group
Change Log
- 02.07.2010
Minor adjustments to GtkMenu to resolve an issue with Open Office. Open Office menu bar text was showing as black instead of white. Changed all menu check items to display muted orange instead of green. Open Office now displays dimmed menu text as desired.
- 02.10.2010
- GTK file modified to satisfy the requirements of Murrine GTK engine version 90.3 (see human-theme bug #518325). Source packages split to permit testing in Karmic and Lucid. New screen shots will be added to wiki when time permits.
- 03.07.2010
- Tweaks to metacity to accommodate buttons on the left side of the form.
- 03.20.2010
- Changed tooltip background color to black, text color to white.
- 04.05.2010
- Added button control logic to move buttons to the left.
- 04.06.2010
- Final adjustments to scrollbar to match default
Murrine Engine 90.3 (Lucid)
Night-Impression Theme - Targeted Ubuntu version: 10.4, Current build: Beta Candidate
Uploaded 04.07.2010
Impression Theme - Targeted Ubuntu version: 10.4, Current build: Beta Candidate
Uploaded 04.07.2010
Many enhancements are being added to the Murrine GTK engine beginning with version (90.3). Impression & Night Impression packages will be modified to support these enhancements as they are made available by the Ubuntu release process. |
Feel free to download and comment as desired.
* Excellent work as always!Very nice the new version of impression, the only thing that gives me some doubt is the prelight text on menus, white text on light-gray background is not very readable in my opinion. Escanor
* This theme is great for me... I'm using it and I'm really impressed by it... The combo/buttons' shading is fantastic! And also the disabled widgets are really nice (I'd add some text rounding/shadows also in standard controls), but it has a little problem: the menu entries and the toolbars are too much tall! I'm using it at 1280x800 resolution, but they uses too much vertical space... Software like gnumeric (which has many toolbars) aren't so good as they should... And... What about also less rounded toolbars (using more "light" effects )? Thanks so much for your work!
2010.02.23 - 3v1n0
* This is a very nice theme, but I would prefer it if the active tab in firefox would be more distinguished from the others. See screenshot: http://img203.imageshack.us/img203/4389/screenshotszf.png
Artwork/Incoming/Lucid/ImpressionGtkTheme (last edited 2010-04-08 02:13:19 by 207)


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Internet Providers in Berlicum, North Brabant, Netherlands
January 2024
This information on internet performance in Berlicum, North Brabant, Netherlands is updated regularly based on Speedtest® data from millions of consumer-initiated tests taken every day. After you've learned about median download and upload speeds from Berlicum over the last year, visit the list below to see mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds from additional cities within . Then compare your internet experience by taking a Speedtest below.
For additional up-to-date information about internet speeds in the Netherlands as a whole, visit the Speedtest Global Index™ or read our recent Market Reports for provider information.
Berlicum Fixed Speeds
Download Mbps
Median download speed
Upload Mbps
Median upload speed
Latency ms
Median latency
To be added to this list for mobile or fixed broadband, 75% of a city's monthly unique user totals over a 13-month period must have a minimum of 200 monthly unique user results.
To be updated for mobile or fixed broadband, 75% of a city's monthly unique user totals over a 13-month period must have a minimum of 100 monthly unique user results.
An operator or ISP must account for 3% or more of total test samples in the market to be on this list. We display data if at least two operators or ISPs meet this threshold in a designated region or city is required.
Cities in North Brabant
- 's-Hertogenbosch
- Asten
- Bergen op Zoom
- Berghem
- Berkel-Enschot
- Berlicum
- Best
- Bladel
- Boxmeer
- Boxtel
- Breda
- Cuijk
- Deurne
- Dongen
- Drunen
- Eindhoven
- Etten-Leur
- Geldrop
- Gemert
- Goirle
- Heesch
- Heeze
- Helmond
- Kaatsheuvel
- Mierlo
- Nuenen
- Oirschot
- Oisterwijk
- Oosterhout
- Oss
- Oudenbosch
- Prinsenbeek
- Ravenstein
- Rijen
- Roosendaal
- Rosmalen
- Schijndel
- Sint-Michielsgestel
- Sint-Oedenrode
- Someren
- Son
- Sprang-Capelle
- Steenbergen
- Tilburg
- Uden
- Valkenswaard
- Veghel
- Veldhoven
- Vlijmen
- Vught
- Waalre
- Waalwijk
- Werkendam
- Zevenbergen